One of the most common general purpose type of welding system utilizes a continuous wire electrode that is fed from a coil through a wire drive mechanism to push the wire electrode through the interior of a flexible cable, through a hand piece at the end of the cable and finally through an electrically conductive tip extending forwardly of the hand piece. The tip receives high amperage current from a power supply typically mounted on a cart, together with the wire drive mechanism and a reel of the consumable wire electrode. To shield the area being welded from atmospheric oxygen, an inert gas is also supplied through the cable assembly, the hand piece and discharged through a nozzle at the forward end of the hand piece as an annular skirt or cloud about the electrode tip. Commonly used inert gases include argon, helium and carbon dioxide. The annular stream of inert gas is supplied at a relatively low pressure, for instance at about 30 pounds per square inch and about 30 cubic feet per hour, which is sufficient to prevent the extraction from the ambient air of contaminants such as oxygen or nitrogen that can have a deleterious effect on the metal being welded. Examples of this type of welding system are disclosed by U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,761,049, 2,833,913, and 3,265,856.
When desiring to cut or gouge metal rather than weld metal, a different type of electric arc apparatus is employed. One common type of apparatus for this purpose is known as the arc-air torch. The arc-air torch utilizes an electrically charged electrode which may be in the form of a solid, stiff carbon electrode rod initially approximately one to two feet long and consumed during the cutting or gouging process. The rod is held within the jaws of a hand-held clamp to enable the welder to move the tip of the electrode along the cutting path. Compressed air, typically at about 60 to 100 pounds per square inch, is directed at the tip of the electrode to continually blow away the molten metal.
To both weld and cut metallic materials efficiently two different types of apparatus have been required, i.e., a gas shielded arc welder and an arc-air cutting torch. Heretofore, this has required an investment that often has been too large for small shops, farms and ranches, especially since these tools may not be used on a daily basis.